Automatic alarm.



H. E. HOUSE.

AUTOMATIC ALARM.

APPLICATION FlLED uoy. 30. 19%

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

S 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I/ z A15 H. E. HOUSE.

AUTOMAHC ALARM.

APPLICATIONHLED uovpao. 1914.

1,242,349. Patented Oct. 9, 1917. 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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' STATES PATENT OFFICE...

IIERBER'D' ELLSWORTH HOUSE, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, assiqnon TO JOHN H. SAFFORD, OF NEW YORK, N. .Y.

AUTOMATIC ALARM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I'IERBERT ELLswoR'rH HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have 1nventedl certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is designed as animproved automatic audible electric alarm; and as its primary object contemplates an improved electric bell circuit closing mechanism of the spring controlled type.

A further object 'of' the invention is to provide a means, unstable in its nature, to counteract the tension of the circuit closing spring, said means, by reason of its unstability, as will hereinafter appear, causing the circuit to be automatically closed and the alarm 'sounded should an attempt be made to fraudulently remove the chest or gain access to its contents.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a suitable means, .quite simple in its construction, wherebythe alarm may be set so'as to permit, if desired,'bodily movement of'thechest or receptacle without danger of the mechanismoperating to close the elec-' tricalcircuit.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in their preferred embodiment in the accompanyingdrawings, described in the following'specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of thls application.

In describing my invention in detail reference will ,be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved alarm,

Fig. 2 is an end view; {Fig 3 is a detail perspective view of the pivotedlock arm and its support,

Fig, 4 is afragme'ntary perspective view; Fig. 5'i's a side elevation of a modification, and t Fig, 6 is an end view of the modified form shown in'liig; 5, i

Before proceeding with the description of the drawings, I desire to call particular-attention to thefact that while I have evolved Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented 001;. 9. 1917.

2 Application filed November 30, 1914. Serial No. 874,867.

my invention with reference to its use in connection with chests, money'-boxes, safes and the like, thesame may be readily utilized as an automatic alarm in connection with various receptacles susceptible of its application.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals, l designates the inner wall of a chest or receptacle to which a supporting bracket, designated as an-entirety by the numeral 2 is secured. Said bracket 2, as shown to advantage in Fig. 1, consists of a base plate 8, an ofi'set 4, a top plate 5 and a connecting portion 6, the plates 3 and'5 being disposed in parallel spaced relation. Plate 3 is u turned at its free end asindicated at 7, t e upturnedportion, together with the plate 3, forming a seat 01' bed onto which the weight member 8 falls when unseated.

A movable contact 9, substantially U-shaped in its formation, is arranged upon the supporting bracket 2, the extensions of the contact passing through apertures therefor in the base plate 3 as shown. ,One of the said extensions of the contact is enlarged as at 10 whereby to form a shoulder 11 adapted for engagement with the top face of the base plate 3, the engagement-aforesaid limiting movement of the contact rel a tively to the bracket uponthe disposition of the weight 8 thereon. The opposite extension from that upon which the enlargement 10-is formed is somewhat elongated and arranged to fit an opening of the offset at, the latter openingbeing alined with'the opening of the base plate through which the elongated extension extends.

When rendered inoperative, the free end of the elongated extension of the movable contact 9 abuts a suitable lock arm 12 pivoted as at 13 upon the top face of'the top plate 5, the arm being extended beyond the inner edge of the offset 45 to engage the contact so as to prevent movement thereof rela tively to the plate. A lateral movement of the arm 12 sufliciently to disengage its extended end and the contact 9 is all that is necessary in order that the device be rendered operative.

Mounted on the elongated extension of the contact 9 is a suitable collar 14, said collar being longitudinally adjustable through manipulation of a thumb screw 15 associated therewith. Collar 1%, serves as an abutment for one end of ahelical spring 16,

of the contact 9.

device is rendered operative, into engage-' ment with the stationary contact 16, the latter, in its preferred form being fastened to the wall 1 of the chest or receptacle and extending to overlap the connecting portion Now in order that the movement of the weight 8 be limited, I provide a suitable flexible element 17, affixed at one end to the weight, the element passing through an opening therefor of the top plate 5 and having formed at its opposite or free end a knot or enlargement 18 of sufficient size to prevent passage of the element through the opening in the plate when the weight is unseated or removed from engagement with the enlargement 10. The opening 19 through which the element 17 passes is formed preferably at one side of the plate 5 as shown to advantage in Fig. 4.

The upturned portion 7 of the base plate 3 is in electrical communication with a bell or other audible alarm device 20 by means of conductor 21, while the bell 20 is in electrical communication with an electric cell or battery 22 by means of conductor 24. Stationary contact 16 is in electrical communication with the cell or battery 22 by means of conductor 23, such arrangement, as is obvious, forming the operating electrical circuit. 7

When it is desired that the alarm be set,

weight member 8, the said weight member being unstablein its nature, is placed on enlargement 10 of movable contact 9, and lock arm 12 laterally moved to disengage the elongated extension of the said contact. The weight. of the member 8 is suflicient to counteract the tension of the controlling or operating spring 16 thus holding the connecting portion of the contact 9 out of engagement with the stationary contact 15'. In the event of an attempted fraudulent removal of the chest or receptacle, weight member 8 is dislodged ;from its seat upon enlargement 10 thus permitting spring 16 to so move the contact 9 as to engage the stationary contact 16, the engagement causing the operating circuit to be closed and the audible alarm or 4 bell to be sounded. The circuit having been movement of the weight member 8 when the latter is dislodged from its seat upon the enlargement 10.

Passing on to a description of the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, it might be stated that the same general principle is involved, the modified device however consisting of a bracket 25, a movable contact 26, a stationary contact 27, and a controlling or operating spring'28, the latter being arranged to embrace one extension of the movable contact and to abut a collar 29. The weight member of the modified form consists of a ball 30 which, when the device is set, rests upon the free end of one of the extensions of the contact 26 thus holding the said contact out of engagement with oontact 27 and against action of the operat; ing spring. If desired, a concavity 31 may be formed in the bracket 25 in order that ball 30 may be effectually seated directly over the free end of the extension it is adapted to engage. I v

To operate the device described in the modified form, it is butnecessary to move the chest or receptacle sufliciently to dislodge the ball 30 from the concavity 31, in which event the tension of spring 28 will bodi 1 move contact 26 until in engagement wit contact 27.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is evident that the device may be arranged upon the interior of any suitable receptacle regardless of the nature of its contents; that the mere unauthorized movement of the said, receptacle is suiiicient to cause the electrical circuit to be closed and the automatic alarm sounded until either the battery is run down or the contacts disengaged; and that adjustment of the collars l4 and .29 will tovide for either an increase or decrease of the spring tension as occasion ma demand. I

In reduction to practice, have found. that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to ,in the above description, as the preferred embodi ment, is the most efiicient and practical; yet, realizing that the conditions concurrent; with the adoption of my device will neeesr; sarily vary, I desire to emphasize the feet; that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to,' when required without sacrificing any of the advantages of. my invention, as defined in the appended. claims. 7 1

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent, is

1. In a circuit closer, a fixed contact, a relatively movable contact, an unstable easily displaceable weight member mounted to engage with said movable contact and maintain said contact out of engagement with said fixed contact, a spring mounted to normally urge said movable content into engagement with the fixed contact, said weight operating to offset the action of said spring, an enlargement formed upon said movable contact to limit its movement when supporting the weight, and a means oper able to lock said movable contact against the action of said spring without regard to the action thereof by sald weight.

2. In a circuit closer, a fixed contact, a relatively movable contact, a spring mounted to engage with and urge said movable contact into engagement with said fixed contact, an unstable weight member mounted to engage with said movable contact to offset the action of said spring, means on said movable contact conjunctively utilizable as a support for the weight and as a means to limit movement of said contact when supporting said weight, and a means to limit movement of the weight when dislodged.

3. In a circuit closer, a fixed contact, a spring pressed movable contact, an unstable weight member mounted to engage with said movable contact to offset the action of said spring, and a means movable into and out of engagement with the movable contact to lock said contact in a position out of engagement with said fixed contact, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a circuit closer,a supporting bracket, a fixed contact, a substantially U-shaped movable contact engaging with said bracket, a means urging said movable contact into engagement with said fixed contact, an unstable weight member mounted to engage with said movable contact to offset the action of the spring, said weight member be- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ing capable of dislodgment by movement of the bracket, and a means to limit movement of the weight relatively to said bracket when dislodged.

5. Ina circuit closer, a supporting bracket, a substantially U-shaped contact member movable relatively to said bracket, a collar adjustable upon said contact, a spring normally exerting pressure on said collar to maintain said contact in its uppermost position, a stationary contact disposed in the path of movement of said movable contact, an enlargement formed upon said movable contact, the enlargement being engageable with said bracket to limit movement of said contact against tension of said spring, an unstable weight member normally engageable with said enlargement to maintain said movable contact in its lowermost position and against tension of said spring, and means on said weight member and engageable with said bracket to limit movement of the Weight member when dislodged, said weight member when dislodged permitting movement of said movable contact into engagement with the stationary contact through action of said spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT ELLSWOR' H HOUSE.

Witnesses H. J. RAYMOND, RosE GOLDMAN.

five cent: each, by addressing the commissioner of Iatente. Washington, I). 0. 

